How to tackle your sex education questions

In an age when young people are bombarded with porn and social media messages that reinforce rape myths, a new study suggests you need to be careful about the information you share online. 

The research by researchers at the University of Melbourne found that a lack of understanding about the topic of sex education, which is often presented as a straightforward and straight-forward conversation between the sexes, was leading to students not only questioning their own ability to understand the topic, but also that of others.

“We’re not seeing a lack in understanding about sex education in terms of people thinking it’s easy to understand it,” Associate Professor Michael Brown, who led the research, said.

“It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, because if you don’t know what it’s about, you’re likely to question it yourself.”

The study, published in Sex Education, found that students who had heard about sex and sex education from the media were also less likely to be satisfied with their answers, with one in five students saying they would change the way they answered questions if it was clearer.

“People are just not being clear about what they’re learning in sex education,” Professor Brown said.

“The majority of the information is not clear at all.”

In a world where sex is an increasingly popular subject, Professor Brown is hopeful the study will provide a framework for the future of education.

“I think it will lead to a more balanced approach to education,” he said.

Professor Brown said he was not surprised by the results, given the current state of sexual health in Australia.

“The public’s understanding of sex has been on a bit low, particularly among younger people,” he explained.

“That’s a lot of them, they’re really not that interested in having a conversation about sex.”

Topics:sexual-health,education,sexual-offences,health,arts-and-entertainment,community-and of-society,community,education-facilities,education—other-education,melbourne-3000,vic